Brothers
by Sceaduw
Summary: A story between two brothers. Neah Walker and Mana Walker.
1. Part 1

Page of 5

Word count : 2194

Date : 16-Jan, 2011

Note: DGrayman is a Japanese manga (& anime) written and drawn by Katsura Hoshino. If you haven't read it, go read it! It's one of the few manga that still got me addicted.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Dgrayman characters, never did and never will, no matter how much I like them. This is just a fan work, it is not for commercial use and is done solely for the sake of fan-girlism.

Forewords: Tonight I had a sudden compulsion to write about them. A story between two brothers. Neah Walker and Mana Walker.

Feedbacks are always welcomed and appreciated!

**Brothers**

by Sceaduw

Part One. 3 years ago.

Mana was asleep now. He was still shivering from the cold. I took off my black cape and covered his curled up body. This shabby little hut was leaking in wind from all sides, but it was better than staying out in the rain. Consider this hut in the woods a gift from God.

We couldn't risk getting caught by the other Noahs. Mana would be killed and I would suffer something worse than death. The Earl knew it and the other Noahs knew it. To destroy me, they would only need to kill my only brother. Afterall, I left all of them for my dear brother.

I laid down beside Mana and watched as he slept. He looked so peaceful, not a care in the world. How could he be so calm when we were being hunted down? He was not a Noah and he had no powers. He was just a mortal. He should be petrified. Unlike me, I didn't need to eat and drink as often and still filled with energy. Come to think of it, we had been moving in-between cities and hadn't even eaten anything for two days. It must be tough for him, considering we used to be little masters of the Walker household. But that was all history now.

Stealing food was without troubles. The problem was, Mana refused to eat stolen food. He even scolded me for being a petty thief. He was a strict and stubborn big brother as always. Even when he knew so clearly that I was not the little brother he had before. I was one of the Noahs. So eventually, we ended up sometimes performing on the streets for a few dollars. He would play his harmonica and I would sing. We were not good at it but we survived.

I rubbed my eyes. Today had been a long day, running and dodging. Tomorrow would be different, I wished. I touched Mana on his cheek softly. Tomorrow, Mana would be one day older. And I would still be what I was three years ago. That day when my soul awakened to be a Noah. If we survived the hunt, I would still need to face the fact that Mana would die of old age someday.

But I guessed that would be the most wonderful thing I could have, to be able to witness Mana till the end. If we survived that was.

Mana mumbled in his sleep. He curled up tighter. I huddled closer to him, hoping I could warm him up somehow. The wind howled outside and some rain pelleted into the hut through the broken windows and leaky roof. I listened to the rain drops on the trees outside. They made a rattle on the roof but Mana was sound asleep. Closing my eyes, I listened to Mana's beating heart.

Then there was something else out there, I could feel it coming.

"Neah... ?" groaned Mana as I pushed him gently. He reluctantly sat up. I tied the cape onto him by the collar and covered his head with the hood.

"We have to go," I spoke quietly while pulling him off the wooden floorboards, "they're here."

Mana jumped to his feet. "Then we must go!" he exclaimed, "What are you doing? Why are you putting this on me?" Mana untied the cape and shoved it back onto me. "It's raining outside, put this on, Neah! Look at you! You will catch a cold out there!" he said as he draped the garment over me. I could never say no to Mana. If I told him I didn't need it because I was no longer a human, he would be upset. I looked sadly at the water still dripping from his hair and clothes. He was slightly trembling from the cold while he draped the cape onto me. He smiled, "don't worry, Neah. Things will be alright!" He took my hand and walked towards the door.

What did he mean by alright? The bags beneath his eyes told me he was at his limit. Yet his hand was so strong and warm. We ran out into the rain together.

We ran and ran, until Mana finally tripped and fell, dragging me along with him onto the muddy ground. He had sprained his ankle. I knelt down to examine his wound immediately. The joint had swelled up to the size of a boiled egg.

"Damn it!" I cursed between gritted teeth. Mana pushed me away, he hissed with pain, "go! Don't worry about me! Go now!"

"No!" I cried and pulled him up despite his gasps of pain. I hauled his arm over my shoulder and tried to lift him up. His body was larger than mine now but I was strong.

"Quit running already, I'm bloody soaking wet!" a voice scowled behind us. I swirled around. It was Dezaiasu. I could tell he was extremely displeased with the state of his clothes in this heavy rain. "Neah, why don't you understand what Earl was trying to do for you? You broke his heart!" said Dezaiasu as he walked closer to us, "now please will you come back to us, or you will share a grave with your mortal brother?"

We instinctively backed off step by step as he advanced forward. I tightened my grip onto Mana's body and yelled, "you tell the Earl that I will never return to him! Let us go if the Earl really loved me!"

"That's too bad, Neah. Earl loves his children too dearly to let them go!" Dezaiasu laughed and looked at Mana, "and he won't forgive those who takes from him!" I immediately flung Mana onto the ground behind me, blocking in-between him and the Noah in front. Dezaiasu was skilled in controlling people's movement. He could snap Mana in half by a mere look.

"Just go Neah! Save yourself!" cried Mana. I never understood why Mana cared for me this much! He should know I, as a Noah, was more capable of saving myself. He didn't seem to realize I was trying to save him from the Earl!

"Be quiet, bro! I'm not leaving you!" I yelled. Before I knew it, I actually told my brother to shut up. It was my first time. I felt a shiver down my spine. I used to think it would feel great to tell my over-protective sibling off. Instead, it felt really depressing. I wanted to cry.

"Hey, what are you doing?" asked Dezaiasu distastefully as a few stones flew feebly at his body. The stones left some mud onto his clothes as they impacted. I looked down and saw Mana picking up small stones from the muddy ground. He threw another two stones at the Noah.

"Go away you demon!" Mana cried shakily, "I will not let you lay a finger on my brother!" He was sitting on the ground and throwing stones inefficiently. What was that supposed to achieve? That would only infuriate the Noah.

"Humans. So weak," Dezaiasu stopped at where he was and dodged the next few stones as he spoke, "so helpless." I knelt down and wrapped Mana tightly in my arms, stopping him from throwing anything anymore. If he must kill Mana, then he would have to kill me too.

"I'm sorry Neah, I failed to protect you," whispered Mana. He held onto me and I thought I heard him sobbing. The rain had stopped and I closed my eyes. I hugged Mana close and began to hum a familiar tune.

The ark was our only chance out.

"Don't try to use the ark Neah, you don't care if the human is torn to pieces?" Dezaiasu said while patting some of the dirt off his jacket. I snapped open my eyes and glared at him. "He doesn't have any powers or Innocence to protect him. He will either get shredded up during the transport or die upon arrival inside the ark."

"Just leave and save yourself, Neah." said Mana weakly. He looked so fragile. I turned to face Dezaiasu silently, locking my eyes deep into his.

"Come on, don't look at me like that. Anyway, I only come to deliver a message from the Earl. It seems you have already given me your answer," Dezaiasu said as he squeezed some water from his long hair, "what? If I am going to kill your brother, he would be dead at the beginning already." He eyed Mana coldly but he grinned at me.

"What message you brought from the Earl?" I asked, doubting whether to trust him or not. I still stood firmly between him and my brother.

"If you don't return to him, he will personally come to hunt you down," said Dezaiasu as he wiped the water droplets off his monocle with his sleeve.

I narrowed my eyes but found myself smiling, "then I shall wait for him to come find me." Dezaiasu returned a similar smile before he disappeared into the mist. The temperature dropped significantly after the shower. I quickly helped Mana up and we walked out of the woods. Soon, snow began to drift down from above. We held onto each other for warmth and support, and didn't exchange any conversations. The only thing that came out of our mouths were white puffs of air. It was just when we reached the next village, Mana broke the silence.

"Neah... promise me you will not be one of those demons," he said, "even when I am no longer around. Please, don't be like them." He was looking at the ground all the time as I carried him to the nearest inn in the village.

"What are you talking about? We're alright, aren't we?" I laughed, trying to cheer him up, "You protected me bravely with those little stones, didn't you?" Thinking back on his rash actions, I couldn't help but feeling loved.

Mana smiled. He still looked worried. Worried for me.

We went into the inn and asked to stay for a night or two. We had no money but in exchange we provided some music for the inn. We earned ourselves a stay at the stable with some dry hay and a horse to keep us warm. The inn keeper gave us a single loaf of bread to keep us alive. That generous bastard. No wonder the Earl wanted to wipe out mankind.

We tied the horse to the far end of the narrow box stall and sat onto the pile of hay stack. Mana broke the bread into two and gave the larger portion to me. I tried to protest but he insisted. "You'll need strength Neah! Eat up! You'll shrink to a child's size if you don't eat more!" he said as he stuffed the remaining smaller fraction into his mouth, "Look at you, I am bigger than you now! And we used to be able to share clothes! I really need to find more to feed you tomorrow!"

I didn't have a chance to argue with big brother. I looked down at the piece of bread and ate slowly. I was not hungry nor shrinking in size. Mana quickly finished his meal and flopped down onto the hay stack. Sleep fell upon him instantly. Again, he slept so peacefully, no matter where we were, not a care in the world. I took off my cape again. It had been dried by the fire inside the inn during our very talented performance. I draped it over my brother's body gently, careful not to wake him.

"Neah... I'll be with you..." muttered Mana in his sleep, "I'll... protect you..." That was what he told me before too, on the night of my awakening, when he found our parents were murdered. My big brother would protect me and never leave me alone. I wondered if he would still loved me if he found out it was me who did the killings. Mana curled himself up, unconsciously trying to get the most warmth between the hay and the cape. I laid myself down beside him as usual.

The bread tasted too sweet for me. I chewed on, listening to Mana's soft breathing.

-to be continued-


	2. Part 2

Note: DGrayman is a Japanese manga (& anime) written and drawn by Katsura Hoshino. If you haven't read it, go read it! It's one of the few manga that still got me addicted.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Dgrayman characters, never did and never will, no matter how much I like them. This is just a fan work, it is not for commercial use and is done solely for the sake of fan-girlism.

Forewords: Tonight I had a sudden compulsion to write about them. A story between two brothers. Neah Walker and Mana Walker. Feedbacks are always welcomed and appreciated!

**Brothers**

Part Two. 3 years later.

"Back off!" I commanded and glared as the Akumas shrinked away into the distance, far away from the circus tent. That was the fifth attack this year, and it was only mid-January. The attempted attacks on Mana by Akumas were getting too frequent. Last time, the attack of the demons caused Mana his job at the previous circus. Mana worked so hard to find this new job now!

There was no more movements in the dark. I returned back inside the tent, just in time to see my older brother bowed at the small group of audience. They clapped and cheered as my brother waved and blew kisses at them. He winked at me as I sat down in one of the seats on the last row. I waited for the show to end. Mana had been working as a clown in the circus for nearly two years now. We would move from towns to towns, constantly changing jobs between different circus groups, and avoiding the pursue by Noahs and Akumas as much as possible.

His face was painted in a funny way but I could always recognize him as if he wasn't wearing any makeups. He said he wanted to give people happiness and watched as they smiled and laughed. I never comprehended his reason for being a clown. Mana was just too kind a man. Even now that he was nearly 24 years old. I should have been 23 years old but I remained 17.

"Where've you been? You missed my new act!" smiled Mana as he met up with me after the show. I was not a bit interested in his foolish clown acts after watching him practising for some time beforehand. Never did once I laughed to his acts. They were just stupid.

"Some souls were wandering around and I told them to get lost," I looked away, knowing Mana would not approved of my rudeness. "That's not nice, Neah. Come on, Neah, let's go celebrate tonight!" he grinned and patted me on the head. I pushed his hand away, "you should save up your salary for a rainy day you know, I really don't need to eat this often!" It was pay day today and every pay day my brother would take me to a fine restaurant to feast. He still remembered my childhood favorite dessert was raspberry and milk chocolate cheesecake. It was weird to see your brother growing up to be like your father. I felt odd. What did he feel towards me? I must be like a freak to him. By now, he should be well aware that I stopped growing up was not because of the amount of food that I consume. Why waste money on me when he was already so deprived of it?

"Oh Neah! What good is earning money if you can't spend it as you wish? All I want is to have a good time with you! Come on! Don't pout! Smile! Smile!" he smirked and pinched my cheeks. I hated it when Mana started to treat me like a child. I was his brother for Noah's sake!

And these frequent attacks troubled me.

We would rarely encounter a Noah. Most likely those Noahs were in the middle of a task and only fooled around with me for a bit before leaving off. They didn't really harm Mana or me. But these Akumas, they were aiming at Mana. I couldn't really leave my brother for a few minutes. What was the Earl thinking? If he wanted me, he should come and get me! Where was he anyway?

I watched as Mana bounced happily back into his little tent, he called from inside, "I won't be long, let me take off the makeup first!" I glanced around as I waited. Mana emerged from the tent after a while, all cleaned up and wearing his favourite yellow coat. He smiled and happily flashed his few dollar bills from his pocket. I sighed inwardly. The more my brother grew older, the more I felt distant from him. I surrendered to him and allowed him to treat me to the monthly raspberry and milk chocolate cheesecake. It costed him half of his salary as usual.

We walked back to the tent after dinner. It was only a short walk if Mana had not deliberately paused every now and then to sing and dance, making up new clown acts along the way. Mana had always been cheerful and lively, even during the hardest times while we were on the run. I stopped in my thoughts and he came to pinched me on the cheeks. I did not respond to him.

"What's wrong? Are you sleepy already?" he asked, overwhelming with energy, "let me carry you back! Hop on!" He half knelt down in front of me, offering me his wide and firm back. I looked blankly at him. I had made up my mind. We couldn't continue like this. I couldn't continue like this. One day, I might be not looking and Mana would be killed.

"I will go find the Earl," I spoke quietly, staring at my brother's back. He didn't move and didn't turn to make fun of me.

"'Will'? When then?" he asked.

"Tonight, now," I spoke. I felt my voice fading.

"When will you come back?" he asked again. To my surprise, he didn't even try to stop me. Maybe he finally figured out that with my departure, he could be safer. But I knew the Earl would not let Mana live. I was so fed up with his clown acts earlier tonight but now I found myself reluctant to leave.

"If you are not taking me with you, then at least tell me, Neah, when you will be back." Mana demanded an answer. His voice was shaking but he still did not turn to face me. I told myself I had to settle the score with the Earl once and for all. I must leave.

"I will come back, brother. I promise." I turned and ready to leave, "When I come back, we won't have to worry about any Akumas or Noahs again."

I caught a glimpse of a shadow standing against a tree not far away. It was the young Exorcist General Marian Cross from the infamous Black Order. I smiled at him but he turned away. He was the only abled body I could count on to keep my brother save while I was away. I bet he counted on me to bring the Earl down too.

I hummed softly a tune to summon the portal of the ark. Among my light melody, I heard muffled sobs behind me. Stepping through the portal with a gentle spring, I was surrounded by silence. I was inside the ark.

Then I started killing. Killing every moving beings in sight until I reached the Earl's private chamber. I smiled and showed him the blood in my hands. Blood of the Noahs.

"You have come back to me Neah! But you have been very naughty! What have you done?" growling with a wide grin, the Earl pulled out a huge sword from Lelo. We started fighting and I lost.

"Any last will, my dear boy?" the Earl asked as he looked down upon me. My body was pinned down by his sword but equally, I had hurt him bad. Unfortunately, not bad enough to destroy him. If I had innocence on me, I could kill the Earl. It was too absurd an idea for a Noah.

"Mana... ," I muttered and exhaled painfully. The Earl narrowed his eyes sadly at me for a moment and then laughed, "one day, Neah, one day, you will understand!" He opened the ark portal and kicked me down the hole. I fell and fell through endless darkness. When I woke up I was on something soft and warm. I recognized the old yellow coat. It was a prize gift for my brother some years ago from a local poker game. I cheated, naturally, but he never knew.

Mana was carrying me on his back. I tried to move but I couldn't. I was dying. Mana carried me and kept walking in silence.

"Brother... put me down," I whispered, hoping he could hear me. I wanted to see him again. It seemed so long since we departed. He stopped and knelt down beside a tree on the roadside. I slipped off his back lifelessly. He turned and looked at me. His eyes were red and his cheeks were wet. There were wrinkles along his forehead and around his eyes. He looked... much older.

I smiled weakly. How long had I been in the ark?

"Brother, I had... to leave... for a while... longer," I swallowed as I tried to speak clearly. My strength was leaving me and I could barely keep my eyes open.

"When will you come back?" he squeaked through the lump in his throat, "Look what you did to yourself... bring me with you this time."

He held onto my hands. They were the same strong and warm hands as before.

"I am leaving... this body," I continued slowly word by word, "I will come back... as another."

"Where? When? Who? Tell me!" he cried, "Don't go off by yourself!"

"I... don't know... " my voice trailed off.

"I'll look for you, Neah! I'll come for you! I can know who's you!" he wailed as he wrapped me in his arms firmly. As if that was going to prevent my soul from leaving my body. Soul... I didn't even know if I still had a soul within me. I guessed I would find out soon enough.

"Let me... see your new acts, ... brother..." I lowered my eyelids, "... send me off... with a smile... brother..."

I passed into a new realm.

-the end-

P.S.

I heard voices. It was faint but I recognized it was Mana's voice. Wrapped up in darkness, I saw nothing. I was still trapped inside the small boy's body. Yes... I remembered now, this boy had a strong Innocence lurking in his body. I had chosen this as my resting place until the time came. You found me, my brother! Wait for me, I would truly return to you, I promise.


End file.
